Change
by 97TaraMarkov
Summary: A cruel twist of fate frees the ex-Teen Titan, Terra, from her stone prison. "Cruel? But why?" you ask. Well, she's been out-of-the-loop for 19 long years. My how things change. - "Things Change" (the episode) never happened (reviews much appreciated).
1. Chapter 1- Prologue

Prologue

The alarms of the Bellain City museum blared, interrupting the quiet night. The large front doors of the three-story building exploded as two, humanoid robots made off with their prize: a yellow crystal, just small enough to hold in one's hand. Unbeknownst to the pair, they were being watched.

A boy and a girl crouched on top of a nearby warehouse; they had known that it would only be a matter of time before someone tried to steal that particular artifact. It had been a part of a set of four; although the other three had disappeared long ago, this one had been shipped to Bellain just yesterday. Even without the others, the prism would fetch a high price on the black market.

The teens glanced over to each other, before leaping down simultaneously from the one-story warehouse. The girl raced to engage the robot who wasn't holding the crystal. It threw a punch at her, which she dodged, before grabbing its extended arm and flipping it over her shoulder. With one of the robots down she looked to her partner. The boy had just telekinetically launched the other robot across the street. The gem flew out of the robot's grasp and plummeted towards the ground. It was a foot from the concrete before it suddenly changed direction and zoomed straight into the boy's hand; he held it up triumphantly.

"Whew! That was a close one, wasn't it," he asked with a big grin on his face.

The girl rolled her eyes in response; as she did so, the boy noticed that the robot on the ground behind her was moving.

"Alix, look out!"

The girl ducked out of the way just as a lazer bullet streaked by, missing her arm by mere centimeters. The lazer continued, slamming into the boy's chest; he let out a gasp as he was knocked backwards. Time moved in slow motion. As his back struck the wall of an office building, the crystal slipped from hand; it landed hard on the sidewalk and a large crack formed down the center.

"Henry!"

Alix darted over to the boy, who sat slumped against the wall; she hurried to help him to his feet as the crack in the translucent stone continued to widen. The gem suddenly broke completely in two and a huge shockwave ripped through the city.


	2. Chapter 2

Erosion. Defined as the wearing away of something over a period of time. It causes some of the greatest changes on Earth, sometimes happening quickly, while other times taking millions of years. Erosion carved through the rock of a flat plane and created the Grand Canyon, and it causes Niagara Falls to slowly move backwards as gallons upon gallons of water cascade over the rocks, breaking off bits of debris and carrying them over the precipice.

Erosion, however, was the farthest thing from the mind of Tara Markov as she lay on the hard floor of the cave where, many miles away from Bellain, the aftershocks of the quake were still being felt. Blinding, throbbing pain in her head awoke her. She struggled slowly to her feet, brushing a strand of her long, blond hair out of her face. She realized that she couldn't remember where she was, or even who she was. She took a look around the huge underground cavern. It was dark, and she was unable to see much, but then her eyes rested on an empty, stone pedestal in the center of the room, with a plaque leaning against it. Through the gloom, she was able to make out the words, "Terra, a Teen Titan, a true friend." All of a sudden, memories started flooding back to her. _She_ was Terra. She was able to remember everything, the Titans, Slade, her betrayal, and the volcano... She remembered the itching and burning sensation as the lava had hardened around her, and the searing pain as it burned her skin. Her powers had saved her from death, but only just. The pain in her head became so intense that she couldn't keep herself from crying out. Then, as quickly as it came, it vanished. Terra blinked, confused; she realized that she had sank down to her knees and she stood back up. Her muscles were sore and they screamed in protest. She had no idea how long she had been trapped in her stone prison. Turning around, she slowly walked away and began to weave her way through the winding maze of tunnels that ran underneath Jump City.

o-o-o

After nearly a half an hour, Terra emerged into the full light of day and was temporarily blinded by the sun. She looked around and saw that the amusement park was up and running again. No trace of her and Beast Boy's battle with Slade remained. Seeing the little kids running around happily in a place that held such horrible memories for her made Terra feel uneasy. _How long was I imprisoned? _She was on her way to a newspaper stand to check the date when she passed the fun-house and spotted her reflection out of the corner of her eye. Terra stopped and stood in front of the mirror. She hadn't realized that she was still wearing her apprentice uniform. Most of the uniform looked like a strange combination of a bikini and a medieval suit of armor, providing both flexibility and protection. It included metal shoulder, knee, and elbow pads. The chest-plate held Slade's insignia, a black 'S' inside a dark orange circle. The parts of her that weren't covered in metal armor were wrapped in a thick, white fabric, which was badly frayed. She also wore gray, steel-toed boots and gloves. Her bright blue eyes and mane of tangled hair added to her wild appearance. She realized that some people at the park were staring at her, they appeared frightened, but she couldn't blame them. She did look pretty scary.

Summoning her courage, Terra walked calmly towards the newspaper stand, smiling kindly at the man behind the counter. The man could tell that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, but he didn't say anything. She looked at the date on a paper, August 8, 2027. _August 8, 2027?_ _That can't be right. That's what? Nineteen years?_ Terra immediately dropped the paper and ran towards Titans' Tower. Remembering how to use her powers, she levitated a nearby rock over to her. Terra leapt onto it and flew up, over the city. She felt comfortable that she could see the tower on the horizon. _Good. At least it's still standing._


	3. Chapter 3

A short flight later, Terra landed by the front door of Titans' Tower. She could tell that something was amiss. It was so quiet, and all of the lights were off inside. She tried her code on the door's keypad a few times to no avail. _I guess I didn't really expect that to work, of course they would have disabled my code. _She resorted to using her powers to move the giant metal doors open. Cautiously, Terra stepped inside, closing the doors behind herself. She flipped on the lights. _No, this is wrong. This is all wrong!_ The Tower had been transformed into some kind of museum. Glass cases of different sizes were scattered around the room with all of Robin and Cyborg's gadgets on display, as well as belongings from the other Titans. There were also artifacts taken from the many villains that the Titans had battled and defeated. She nervously crossed the room to the elevator, which she was glad to find still worked, and rode it up to the top floor. Terra didn't know how she felt, or maybe she did, she felt numb. The reality of the situation hadn't hit her yet. All of this just seemed so impossible to her. Terra only knew for sure that she had to deal with one thing at a time, and right now she could really use a change of clothes.

The elevator came to a halt and Terra stepped off. Walking down the hall, she stopped at the door to her room, which she found to be locked. Again, she had to use her powers to force the door open. A thought struck her. _If this is a museum there's probably some sort of security system. I will have to be more careful in the future._ Terra peeked inside her old room and spotted some cameras. She used her power to move some dirt from the potted plant at the end of the hallway and covered them up. Looking around she saw that her room also contained glass cases, like the ones in the lobby. They contained everything from her old communicator to the silver, heart-shaped box that Beast Boy had made for her. _I feel so...exposed. Anyone who wanted to could come here and learn anything and everything about me. Everything I've ever owned is on display... _As she ran her hand along one of the cases her eyes drifted to one in the corner of the room where her bed used to be. The case contained a mannequin wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt and yellow shorts. On the shirt was a circle outlined in yellow, with a yellow capital 'T' in the center. It was her Titan uniform. She walked over to it. _I'll have to break the glass, but with what?_ An idea began to form in her mind. _Glass is ultimately made from sand, and sand comes from the ground. So maybe, just maybe... _

Terra stood with her hands outstretched towards the glass. She closed her eyes and tried to focus. Her hands began to glow with yellow energy. _I can't believe it! This could actually work!_ Before the glass broke, however, she was startled by a sound behind her.

"Terra? Is that really you?"


	4. Chapter 4

Her concentration broken, Terra whipped around, ready for a fight. Instead, she found herself face-to-face with someone frighteningly familiar. The man was dark-skinned and maybe between the ages of thirty-five and forty, though that wasn't what gave away his identity to Terra. It was the one red eye and assortment of robotic parts that made up half of his body that told her who he was.

"Cyborg," she asked incredulously.

Cyborg seemed to hesitate a moment before nodding in confirmation.

"What happened? Where is everybody?"

There were too many questions and Terra had too few answers. Instead of answering her questions, he looked past her at the uniform in the case; his face seemed to hold a mixture of emotions ranging from curiosity to suspicion. Feeling the tension in the room, Terra shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

Finally Cyborg spoke, "You need a change of clothes?"

Terra was annoyed that he wouldn't answer her but she nodded, flashing a tentative smile, which the other returned.

"Follow me; I think there might be some of your extra uniforms still in storage."

They walked through the halls of the tower in silence. Terra was bursting with questions, her head swimming with them as the reality began to finally set in. _Nineteen years...I missed so much. Where are the others? Where is Beast Boy? What happened to Slade? _They seemed to be walking so slowly that the journey to the Tower's basement seemed interminable. As they finally began to descend the long staircase, Terra remembered the one other time she had been in the gloomy basement; she wasn't looking forward to going down there again, it had been dark and dusty, and Terra had felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as she had waited for Beast Boy to find the video game he had been looking for. This time, though, it was neither of those things; it was still filled with boxes, like before, but it was well-lit and Terra could hear music coming from somewhere nearby. In fact, this part of the Tower looked to be more lived-in than any of the other rooms did.

Cyborg began rummaging through some of the boxes, talking excitedly to Terra as he did so.

"I saw you on the cameras after you came in, at first I thought you were just some kid lookin' for trouble. Then, I realized who you really were, man, things have changed so much since you...you know..." He pulled out a large box that had been on a high shelf, "aha! Here we are." Cyborg handed the box to her. Inside the box was her complete uniform, boots, gloves, goggles, and all.

"Thanks."

"It's nothin'."

The two of them made their way back upstairs and Terra found a bathroom she could clean up in. Locking the door behind her, she turned towards the large mirror. She was hesitant about trying to take off the suit she was wearing; nineteen years ago she hadn't been able to because it had been so fully integrated with her nervous system.

"Here goes nothing..."

She took a deep breath and tried to unlatch the clasp of one of the metal shoulder pads. The latch clicked open easily and she set the armor by the sink, exhaling a sigh of relief. Whatever Slade did to control her obviously wasn't working now. She got undressed and showered, the warm water helped to soothe her aching muscles and calm the storm in her mind.


	5. Chapter 5

After Terra was showered and dressed she looked herself over in the mirror, smiling to herself. _I had forgotten how much I liked wearing this. It just feels so comfortable, so normal. I can almost forget the complete abnormal-ness of the situation... _She opened the door to the bathroom, Cyborg was sitting in a chair across the hall, reading. Terra was shocked; she had never seen him actually sit down and read a book before. The sight was so strange she couldn't hide her surprised expression as he looked up at her. He seemed confused for a moment, unable to figure out why she was looking at him that way. After a very awkward silence he seemed to understand and they both broke out into laughter. Terra hadn't laughed in so long that she felt like she was going insane. First Titans' Tower gets turned into a museum, and now Cyborg was _reading_? The very thought was just so foreign to her. As their laughter began to die down in was followed by another awkward silence. Finally, Cyborg stood up.

"Why don't we find somewhere a little less depressing to talk."

"That sounds like a good idea." Terra wanted to get away from that gloomy place as soon as possible.

o-o-o

Cyborg and Terra sat across the table from each other at Ben's, the same diner she had gone to with Beast Boy the night of her betrayal. The place brought back mixed feelings for her, but amidst all of this change it felt good to know that some things had stayed the same. The same diner, the same city, and the same feelings of regret whenever she was reminded of the mistakes she'd made.

"So," Terra began hesitantly, "what happened after I...left?"

"Lots, but long-story-short, we just drifted apart I suppose. Robin had an identity crisis so he became Nightwing and tried to go solo, but I guess Star followed him. I think they're both still fighting crime up in Gotham. None of us have any clue where Raven went; one day, she just disappeared. Gar-, er, Beast Boy went to search for her, but had no luck. He came back disheartened and we moved on."

He paused and Terra thought for a moment. _How could this have happened? How in the world could such a great team have, "just drifted apart,"? Poor Beast Boy... Did that happen to him after I disappeared from his life as well?_

"But, Cyborg; what about the villains? Without the Teen Titans to stop them they'll be running loose!"

"Relax, it's not like we've left Jump City completely defenseless. Actually, last I heard, Beast Boy has an apartment downtown, and he's the newly appointed chief of the police force."

"Oh," was all Terra could say. She felt so left out, she'd missed so much. _Beast Boy, chief of police? I don't know what job, besides super hero, would fit him, but that certainly was farthest from my mind. _Terra looked out the window on her right. The sun was beginning to set, just kissing the tops of the buildings in the distance.

"Well, thanks. For everything..." Terra stood up to leave, wanting to go before what little sanity she felt that she had left was crushed by the weight of the meaning of this information

"Not so fast." Terra sat back down and Cyborg smiled as he handed her a brown bag, which she recognized as one of her own.

"I knew that you wouldn't want to stick around long, so I put this together for ya'."

Terra frowned. "Cyborg, you really didn't have to, I mean, after everything I've done..."

"Nonsense! Half 'a that stuff is yours anyway."

Looking inside, Terra saw that it contained multiple changes of clothes, snacks, and a few other useful items, most of which she had brought to the Tower when she had gone to live with the Titans.

"There's more." Cyborg began rummaging around in his jacket pockets until he pulled out a small package wrapped clumsily in paper. He handed it to her and she pulled out the contents one at a time. First, a brown, leather journal.

"I wrote down the contact information for the others (with the exception of Raven) in case you wanted to get in touch with them."

Terra smiled gratefully and pulled out the next item, one thousand dollars in cash.

"Cyborg, I really can't accept this!"

He waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry about the money. I have enough saved up from my years of savin' the world to plate the whole tower in gold if I wanted to."

Terra chuckled as she pulled something else out of the package. It was her silver butterfly comb.

"I thought I lost this," she exclaimed, happy to be reunited with her hairpiece. It was one of the few things she had left from her childhood.

"Yeah, found it in storage and I thought you'd like to have it back."

"Thank you, so much." Terra put the journal and the money in the bag with her clothes and slung it onto her back. She put the comb in her hair and they both stood up from the table.

"Thanks, I mean, for everything. Even after all that I-" The words came out in a rush as Terra choked from the threat of tears.

Reading her emotions perfectly, Cyborg put his hands on her shoulders in encouragement.

"Hey, this is a clean slate for you. I'm just glad to help."

Drowning in emotions, Terra hugged Cyborg tightly before breaking away and pulling herself together.

"It really was great seein' you again, Terra, and good luck out there."

Terra nodded and grinned.

"You too."


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Terra left the diner it was beginning to get dark. Not knowing where else to go, she flew to her old cave on the outskirts of the city. The cave was small and dark. Natural light was only allowed to enter through a small hole in the roof, as Terra always put up a wall of rock to block the entrance from unwanted visitors. She did so as she remembered a frightening experience she had when a giant scorpion had driven her out of the cave the day she met the Titans, since then she had never left the entryway unblocked. _I probably wouldn't have ever even met them if it hadn't chased me out._ She paused for a moment, wondering what would have happened if she never had met them that day. While she reflected she expelled through the skylight the thick layer of dust and sand that covered everything in the cave. Furniture-wise there were a few large, flat rocks that served as a makeshift table and chairs, but that was pretty much it.

After her eyes had further adjusted Terra walked over to a stone box in the corner, using her powers to open it. She dug around inside it and found a flashlight, clicking it to the 'on' position. Nothing. _Of course it doesn't work, I haven't been here in more than nineteen years. _Terra took a sleeping bag from the box and spread it out on the floor with practiced ease. The dry, desert sand was quickly losing whatever heat it had accumulated during the day and she shivered as the wind blew a gust of suddenly cold air down through the hole in the roof. She kicked off her shoes and snuggled down into her sleeping bag, staring up at the stars through the skylight. For the first time since she woke up in the cavern, Terra had time to think. She was alone, with her thoughts swirling chaotically in her mind. _Beast Boy...How is he? Has he forgotten me? It has been so long, he must be at least thirty by now. _She did the math in her head, anything to occupy her mind. _Yes, he's thirty-two. Thirty-two years old. I'm still only fourteen, a child compared to him now. What will he think of me? _She couldn't bring herself to admit that he had probably moved on. For all she knew, he could be married. Whatever they had had together back then simply wasn't possible anymore. Eventually, Terra reined in her frustration and succumbed to her exhaustion.


	7. Chapter 7

Terra reached the eighth floor of the apartment building and marched down the hall to the door that read H7. She knocked immediately, knowing full well that if she gave herself any time to think about what she was doing she would back down. _What will I say to him?_ Terra waited for a moment before realizing that nobody was home. She breathed a sigh of relief. All of a sudden, the elevator pinged and she instinctively ducked into the nearest alcove.

-o-o-o-

Garfield Logan, previously known as Beast Boy of the Teen Titans, stepped out of the elevator and onto the eighth floor of his apartment building. He was dressed casually in jeans and a dark gray sweatshirt, which contrasted oddly with his green skin and hair, and he walked down the hallway arm-in-arm with his girlfriend, Raven Roth. Raven looked much the same as she had when she was a Titan, wearing a black leotard and dark blue cloak. She had let her violet hair grow out long, and wore it braided down her back. The couple stopped outside the door to Garfield's apartment.

"We still on for tomorrow night?"

"Yes," she replied. They kissed each other lightly on the lips and then Raven was gone in a flash of black.

Gar turned to unlock the door to his apartment, H7. Walking in and closing the door behind him, he tossed his keys on the nearby table. His home was modestly decorated, but he, like Cyborg, had money to burn.

As for his relationship with Raven, the two of them had been dating for a few years now, but they had yet to take their relationship very far. They were both content to take things slow. The two of them had just gotten back from a movie and she had walked him home, like usual. Garfield always thought it strange that she did so, since, traditionally, it was the guy who dropped the girl off at her house. Raven had never told him where it was she now called home, nor what she had done once she left the Titans. Gar had never asked, as he knew better than to question her. Walking into his kitchen, he began to make himself an early dinner.

Suddenly, his phone started ringing. He set down the sandwich he'd been about to eat and checked the caller I.D. It was work. Gar knew that the department usually didn't make a habit of calling him when he was off duty, unless there was a serious metahuman threat.

"I'm on it," he answered. Hanging up, he dropped the phone onto the couch and grabbed his badge, stuffing it into his sweatshirt pocket. He threw open is window and jumped out of it, changing into a hawk as he did so.

o-o-o

Gar flew downtown. Even from a distance he could see the carnage. After a short flight, he landed by the other officers, detransforming back into his human form.

"What happened here?"

Officer Wallace responded, "We received a tip that Ember was torching the area, but when we got here she was already gone."

Garfield knew of Ember. Her power was to manipulate fire. She could shoot flames from her hands, and also had the ability to heat up the air around herself, causing nearby objects to spontaneously combust. The department had been trying to catch her for the past month, to no avail.

Gar walked over to a chunk of the street curb that was sitting on top of what used to be a mailbox. Ember couldn't have done this. She must have been working with, or fighting against, another metahuman. A shiny, metallic object on the ground caught his eye and he stooped down to pick it up; it was a silver butterfly comb. Something sparked inside him. He'd seen this somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where. There was something about the carnage that was familiar as well, the way there were rocks and chunks of asphalt thrown around, scattered in the street.

Officer Wallace walked up behind him, "Did you find something useful?"

"Not sure..."


	8. Chapter 8

_They kissed!_

Terra had watched from her hiding place. Though she had known that she and Beast Boy couldn't have what they had before, seeing he and Raven together had still made her feel as if her heart had been ripped out, again. Then, she ran. Civilians had shouted at her angrily as she pushed them aside, but she had kept running.

Though she had soon been forced to stop, and jump out of the way as a ball of fire had suddenly flown in front of her, melting a nearby fire hydrant. The fire hydrant sprayed water, which had quickly evaporated from the heat of the surrounding air. The whole area had quickly become blanketed with a heavy fog and Terra heard people screaming nearby. She had soon located the source of the commotion. A metahuman girl was destroying the area, burning everything in sight. Terra hadn't been able to see very well, so she didn't throw a stone at the girl, for fear of accidentally hitting an innocent. Instead, Terra had first attacked with her martial arts skills. She came up from behind and pinned the girl's arms to her sides.

"What are ya' trying to do, hug me into submission?" Terra's arms had quickly begun to burn painfully, and she jumped backwards with a yelp.

"Nice try, but I'm not one for hugs. If that's all you can do, you're outta luck." She had then blasted a jet of flame at Terra, who hurried to erect a shield of stone.

"Then it's a good thing that's not all I can do." The street had been mostly cleared of people by then, so Terra had deemed it safe to use her powers. _I am _not_ in the mood for this! _Things quickly began going south for the other, as Terra was more than willing to take out her anger on the villain. Soon the girl had tried to run, using jets of flame to propel herself forward. Terra had rushed to lift a wall of rock up in front of the girl. She hadn't had enough time to come to a stop before she had smacked into it and collapsed to the ground. Terra assumed that she was unconscious, but she hadn't waited around to check, as the fog was beginning to clear and police cars were fast approaching. Not wanting them to see her, she had retreated into an alley.

o-o-o

Now, Terra sat alone in a restaurant, eating an early dinner. She had lost her comb again during the fight. _I guess it was nice to have it back, if only for a little while._ She sighed. It was no use to try to make the best of the situation. This was not turning out the way she'd hoped it would. Terra suddenly had the feeling she was being watched. She detected a slight pressure in her mind that she recognized immediately.

"So, you and Beast Boy, huh?"

Raven slid into the seat across from Terra, "He goes by Garfield now."

Terra had never known Beast Boy's real name, and it bothered her somewhat that Raven corrected her on it.

"How are you here," Raven asked, unable to hide the curiosity, and suspicion, in her voice. Terra shrugged, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. "I don't know. I just, sort of, woke up in that cave."

"And you remember everything, no amnesia?"

Terra thought for a moment, confused by Raven's seemingly random question. "Well, I'd like to say that I remember everything, but how would I know if I didn't," she asked rhetorically. _Though, there are some things that I wish I _had _forgotten..._

Raven remained silent, making Terra feel even more out of place. She felt Raven's presence in her mind again, which annoyed her, but she didn't try to shut her out. A minute later, her presence retreated.

"I don't know how you returned, but I sense no malice from you." Raven paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts.

She continued, "Don't try anything though, you don't have me fooled." Raven's voice carried suspicion, but Terra could also hear a trace of regret, or was it sympathy? It was as if Raven wished that she didn't have a reason to be suspicious. She looked straight into Terra's eyes, and Terra had to make a conscious effort not to look away.

Setting her jaw, Terra replied, "I never make the same mistake twice."

Raven's eyes softened slightly and she stood up from the table, "I'm glad."

She turned to go, but Terra had to know something, "Raven?"

Raven turned around, appearing slightly annoyed to be delayed.

Terra continued, "Is...is he happy?"

A faint smile played on Raven's lips, but her eyes didn't quite hid the look of pity directed towards Terra. "Yes, he is very happy," and with that, Raven was gone.

o-o-o

Terra flew through the refreshing night air over the serene desert. She landed outside her cave, but she didn't go inside. She needed to think. Laying down on a flat rock, she looked up at the stars. Terra spoke her thoughts out loud, as she didn't have to hide how she felt out here, with no one for miles around. That was a comforting thought.

"I can't see him, not now. It would just be-...I'm just-..." _Just what?_ Terra couldn't think of any credible reason for her not to reconnect with Beas- _Garfield_, she corrected herself. She knew then why she couldn't see him.

"I'm afraid. I don't know why, but I'm scared. Things have changed so much." She spoke aloud, hoping that it would somehow make her feel less alone.

"I'm alone again. So what? I'm used to it. At least, I should be..." Suddenly, she didn't feel at home by her little cave anymore. Everything felt cold and unfamiliar. She was alone. Completely, utterly alone. More alone than she had been in a long time, and she was terrified.


	9. Chapter 9

Garfield sat on the couch, turning the silver comb over in his hands. He was sure he had seen the butterfly once before, but he couldn't quite place it. Though he had found a long strand of blond hair caught in its teeth, the DNA didn't match any in the database. He sighed and set it down on the coffee table. He was getting nowhere, fast.

Gar grabbed the remote and turned on the television. As he was flicking for something to watch, he found a channel that was featuring a documentary on the Teen Titans. Garfield laughed to himself. _Well, this'll be fun._ He chuckled as he watched summaries of their first few battles as a team, when they still had a lot of work to do, and as he watched them battle the Hive Five for the umpteenth time. There was only a brief recap of Robin's time as Slade's apprentice, as the Titans had not been open with details.

"Everything was going well for the young team, but they soon met their match," said the narrator, as an image of a young girl with long, blond hair lit up the screen. The caption read, "Tara (Terra) Markov." Garfield felt a pit forming in his stomach, a hollow feeling he hadn't felt in a long, long time. _Terra. _He had nearly forgotten her. It dawned on him where he had seen the butterfly comb before. _And the strand of hair..._ He flicked off the T.V. and picked up the comb. _Terra. Has she returned? Is this really hers?_

"Don't jump to conclusions," he told himself. "There are probably tons of girls Jump City with hairpieces just like this." _And yet..._

o-o-o

Gar landed near the entrance to the tunnels, changing back into his human form as he did so. He took a flashlight out of his sweatshirt pocket, clicking it on and shining it around the dismal hole that served as the entryway to the tunnel system. _There's only one way I'll know for sure._ Garfield took a deep breath and descended into the maze. He heard the noise of the nearby amusement park quiet behind him, and then disappear altogether. The network of caves was confusing, and he often had to retrace his steps to find the right tunnel, but eventually, he emerged into the huge cavern. Garfield barely had time to register that Terra's pedestal was, indeed, empty, before something hit him from behind. He crumpled to the cave floor, unconscious.


	10. Chapter 10

Terra stood up and walked hesitantly towards her cave. She was tired and cold. Maybe things would be clearer in the morning. As she entered, Terra knew immediately that she wasn't alone. She saw that, sitting on one of her makeshift chairs, was a teenage boy. He had tousled, dark blond hair, and severe-looking pale eyes that stood out in the dimness of the cave.

"Who are you?" Terra's hands began to glow faintly. She didn't like the look of this guy. Taking notice of her clenched fists and seeming mildly surprised, he stood up. "So," he said, his voice carrying casual curiosity, "you're the famous Terra."

Terra's hands glowed a brighter shade of gold, "That wasn't an answer."

"Forgive me, my name is West." West held out his hand, but Terra made no move to shake it. He dropped it back down to his side.

"What do you want?"

He held his hands up, as if to show that he meant no harm, "Just to talk." He sat down on the stone again, indicating with his head that Terra should have a seat as well.

She relaxed her fists and sat on another rock a few feet away. "Okay, so talk."

West waited a moment before he responded, putting his thoughts to words. "Well, of course you remember how your family used you as a guinea pig to test technology to give metahuman powers to normal humans?"

Terra hesitated, and then nodded. _What is he getting at?_

"That test yielded some less-than-satisfactory results," he said, taking notice of the frown that appeared on Terra's face. "No offense. So, about fifteen years ago they decided to try again. The scientists thought that if the test subject was younger the serum would take. The twins, Ember and Serena, were first. They were still in the womb when they received the first injection. The scientists didn't count on their subjects already having metahuman abilities in their genetics, an indelible memory.

"They realized their mistake too late; as soon as they were born, the twins were to be disposed of. No one knew what would happen if a metahuman was given a second metahuman gene and they didn't want to risk the effects being catastrophic. One of the lab assistants took pity on the two and dumped them in an orphanage. Meanwhile, the scientists had found a new test subject. I was a normal child, only just born to a single mother, who needed the money they were offering her."

_I can't believe this. They're experimenting again, and on children!_ She, herself, had been only six years old and she still remembered that the process had been very painful. Terra could only imagine how the twins felt, being able to remember every step of the process, all of the pain. She shuddered slightly.

West took a breath and continued, "We want you to help us stop them, and to help us get our revenge."

Terra wasn't certain about the revenge part, but West did have a point. They had to put a stop to the experimentation. "Okay, sure. I'll help you."

West nodded.

He stood up and Terra followed him outside. A strong gust of wind kicked up the desert sand, causing Terra to squint her eyes. She watched as the wind lifted West into the air. _So that's his power. _

He turned around, "I'll be back tomorrow morning." Then, he was gone.

Terra went back inside the cave, closing the makeshift door behind her. She curled up in her sleeping bag and thought long and hard. She didn't quite trust West, of course, she had difficulty trusting anyone these days. She had heard the emotion in his voice, though, and she felt that he had been telling her the truth. Her eyelids grew heavy and, eventually, she gave up trying to figure him out, and fell asleep.

o-o-o

Terra looked at the way the light was entering the skylight. After spending so much time in that cave she had become quite good at telling the time by just looking at the way the light played on the cave walls. Judging by the long shadows, it was a little after sunrise, which meant it was about 6 o'clock. She sat up and walked outside, wondering if West had already come and was waiting for her, but he was nowhere to be seen.

She sat down on a flat rock and tossed stones down into the canyon. It wasn't nearly as fun as skipping stones across the bay from the shore of Titans' Tower, but it occupied her time. Soon enough, there was a strong gust of wind and she stood up, turning around to see West standing roughly five feet away from where she was seated.

"Ready to go?"

Terra narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Where are we going?"

West just smiled slyly, "Follow me."

He flew upwards and Terra hurried to follow, levitating the rock she had been sitting on and pulling her goggles down over her eyes. She had to struggle to keep up as West jetted over the city. At the speeds they flew it did not take long for them to reach their destination, an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city.

They landed and West walked over to a large, steel door, holding it open for Terra and closing it behind them. Terra looked around. The warehouse was huge and filled with assorted crates and boxes. The walls were lined with doors leading to offices and vaults for storing high-security items.

West led her through the labyrinth of crates and they emerged into a more lived-in looking area of the warehouse. There was a large rug covering the stone floor and a small sofa was set to the side. There were also some crates that someone had organized into a table and chairs. At the table sat two girls who looked very much alike. The first had long, black hair and dull dark eyes that were staring blankly ahead. She was pale and seemed to be very weak. Terra wondered if she was blind.

"Terra, this is Serena," West said, indicating the frail-looking girl, "and this is Ember, who I believe you have already met."

Terra turned towards the other girl. She had spiky, shoulder-length, black hair and deep amber eyes. This second girl looked much stronger and healthier than her twin, and also strangely familiar.

"It's you!" Terra was immediately on her guard, her hands glowing as she clenched her fists. Ember just smirked as West gently ushered Terra to the seat directly across from her. West then took a seat next to Serena. The girl's eyes lit up and the ghost of a smile appeared on her face as their arms brushed.

"Okay, so I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot, but-," Ember began, not sounding very sincere at all.

"You say that like just yesterday you weren't toasting fire hydrants and causing general chaos."

The smirk disappeared from Ember's face. She clearly didn't like being interrupted. "I think we could both benefit from a clean slate."

Terra knew what it was like to be judged on things she did in her past. She sighed, "You're right. So, how exactly can I help you?"

"We are going out into the city later to create some...respect for our cause. We would like you to help us spread the word."

Embers tone was level, calculated, but there was something in it that Terra didn't like. There was something in her voice that reminded Terra of herself, and it was not something good.

Terra narrowed her eyes, "This isn't about stopping the experiments, is it? This is about you getting your revenge on the world. You don't want me to help you create respect, you want me to help you create fear."

Ember didn't try to hide the hate in her voice this time, "You don't know what it's like, to remember everything as if it were happening right now." Ember gestured towards Serena. "Just look at what those monsters did to her!"

At this Serena's eyes began to water and she looked down at the table. West put his arm around her protectively. Terra felt sorry for the girl, but she couldn't let these three make the mistake of taking out their anger on innocent people.

"I understand that you're angry, believe me, I've been there before, but this is no way to handle that anger. You are talking about taking your revenge on people who've done nothing to you. Just because those scientists made the mistake of inventing that serum doesn't mean that all of those people need to suffer."

West spoke up, "Look, we need to do this. We don't want to hurt innocent people either, but sometimes fear is the only way. Stay with us Terra, we know that you have nowhere to go, and it would be great to have your support..."

West appeared to be sincere about not wanting to hurt people, and the thought of settling down, of belonging again, was a tempting one. _It would be great to be with people who understand what I've been through..._ Then, her discussion with Raven came to the front of her mind. _I won't make the same mistake twice._ She remembered the hate in Ember's voice, and how readily her anger had surfaced. _West may have the restraint to keep himself from hurting people, but the same can't be said about Ember._

Terra kept her voice even, "No, I've been down that road before and I won't let myself make that mistake again. You three can do what you want with your life, but just leave me and Jump City out of it." She stood and began walking in the direction of the exit.

"I think you should reconsider our offer," Ember hissed. Terra stopped and turned around to face her.

"Give me one good reason."

The smirk appeared on Ember's face once again, "Because, if you don't you'll never see your boyfriend again."


	11. Chapter 11

West looked at Ember with confusion written on his face; he clearly had no idea what she was talking about.

"Ember, what are you-." Ember shot him a sharp glance and West fell silent.

Terra was just as confused as West was. _What does she mean, I don't have a-_ _No!_ The look in Ember's eyes was confirmation enough for Terra and her vision exploded in a gold haze as her powers activated.

She tore up a block of stone from the floor and threw it at Ember, who quickly leapt out of the way, the stone missing her by inches. The block smashed into a stack of crates, which collapsed, catching Ember off guard and burying her under them. The pile became an inferno as Ember exploded out through the top. West and Serena raced to douse the flames before the whole warehouse caught on fire. A jet of fire hurtled towards Terra, as she jumped out of the path of the flame another fireball caught her in the side. She was thrown backwards, smacking painfully onto the cold floor. Ember stood over her, hands enveloped in balls of flame. Terra gritted her teeth against the increasingly intense heat and a spike of rock shot out of the ground, throwing Ember back. Terra sprang to her feet and ran towards Ember, who had gotten back on her feet as well. Balls of fire flew towards Terra and she dodged each one. Ember was getting careless and Terra quickly closed the gap between them. She ducked out of the way of one last fireball and kicked Ember's legs out from under her. Terra quickly wrapped Ember's wrists and ankles in stone, anchoring her to the ground.

"Where is he? What have you done- oof!" Terra's questions were cut off as a stream of water came out of nowhere, knocking the wind out of her. She staggered back against a stack of metal boxes and the water hardened to ice around her, pinning her to the cases. Terra looked up to see Serena standing across the room.

Broken pipes had burst through the floor around here and there was a pool of water around her feet. She and West hurried to free Ember as Terra worked on freeing herself. She levitated a stone from the ground and chipped away at the ice. She quickly escaped, but so had Ember, and they glared at each other across the decimated warehouse. _I can't beat them. Not all three at once, anyway. I wouldn't stand a chance._

"Let me talk to him. If you aren't bluffing, let me talk to him."

"No way," shouted Ember, "We weren't born yesterday!"

Terra looked pleadingly at West. _I know that you don't approve of this. You can stand up to her, please. _

"Ember, maybe we should-."

"No," Ember cut him off in mid-sentence and he shot her a meaningful look. Ember spoke through clenched teeth, "Fine." She indicated with a nod of her head that Terra should follow her.

Ember led the way through the carnage, followed by Terra. Serena and West trailed behind, walking hand-in-hand. They soon came to a part of the warehouse that wasn't quite so decimated as the rest and stopped in front of the door to one of the high-security vaults. Ember put her hand on the handle.

"Don't try anything. This vault is made of a high-tech plastic, no stone or metal. You have two minutes." With that Ember pulled open the giant door and Terra walked inside, hearing the door close loudly behind her.

The inside of the vault was cold, and the only light came from a single light-bulb hanging from the center of the ceiling. She saw him sitting against the back wall. He lifted up his head when he heard her enter

"Terra?"


	12. Chapter 12

"Terra," Garfield asked. He couldn't believe that she was standing there, right in front of him. She looked exactly the same as when he had last saw her, except for absence of her apprentice uniform, which he knew to be a good sign. Terra only nodded, biting her lip. Gar had so many questions for her, but she spoke first.

"Do you trust me?"

He could hear the uncertainty in her tone. _Do I trust her? I do, but maybe I shouldn't... Why is she asking me this? _"Terra, what's going on?"

"They want me to...to help them destroy the city..."

"Who are They? I don't understand." _What is she talking about?_

"I'm sorry Beast Boy, but I have to or they'll..."

Garfield didn't bother to correct her on his name, that didn't matter at the moment. His mind was racing a mile-a-minute. _Leverage. Whoever They are, they're using me as leverage to get her to do whatever they want. _"Terra, please, don't worry about me. You can't hurt innocent people."

"I don't have a choice," her voice cracked. She seemed to be on the verge of tears.

_She's been down this road before, hasn't she learned? _He answered his own question. _Of course she has, but it's different this time. Before, it was her own life she was throwing away. She believed it to be so horrible already that she gave up fighting, but now..._

Garfield took on a comforting tone, "Of course you do, you've always had a choice, and that hasn't changed." He stood up and walked over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. Seeing that sad expression on her face brought forth fresh pain. He remembered so many times he had tried to drive away her lost look by making her laugh, but the smile had never reached her eyes. He remembered her as a statue, her dull, stone eyes staring lifelessly forward, an expression of unbearable pain written on her face. Garfield was suddenly filled with a longing to hear her laugh again, to know for certain that she was really alive and standing there in front of him.

"Don't do this Terra. I know that you're better than this." _I can't let her destroy herself again. In fact, it's all my fault that she went back to Slade in the first place. Now she has her second chance. I'm not going to let her throw it away because of me._

"But, what about you?"

"I can take care of myself, and besides, heroes need to be prepared to make sacrifices." He managed a weak smile, but his emerald eyes remained solemn. "Please, run away. Do it for me."

"For you..." Terra looked up into his eyes, her own brimming with tears. "That's why I have to go with them."

_No!_

There was a pounding on the door and Ember's muffled voice was heard from the other side, "Time's up!"

Terra turned and walked towards the door without looking back.


	13. Chapter 13

Terra blinked away the tears from her eyes as she heard West closing the vault door behind her. _I've messed up his life enough already. I'm not going to let him throw it away because of me._

"So, you're in," said Ember, it wasn't a question.

Terra only nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Then, let's go."

o-o-o

The four of them walked down the street. It was rush hour and the sidewalks were crowded with pedestrians. Ember's plan consisted of disrupting the traffic flow and causing general panic before taking out some of the nearby buildings. Then, they would all retreat before the police even got word of what had happened. West was to stay with Terra, in case she tried to slip away during the chaos. Soon, Ember gave the signal and a nearby parked car burst into flames. Serena busied herself with creating a traffic jam, freezing a few of the cars and causing a chain reaction of rear-end collisions. Terra stood above the fray, levitating on a chunk of the sidewalk, with West hovering next to her. She picked up some pieces of road and threw them around, smashing some empty cars, but being careful not to directly injure anyone. West had made a small tornado and was throwing bits of shrapnel around haphazardly. Ember was the only one attacking the city with any real malice. She didn't care who got in her way as she torched everything in sight.

Just a few minutes later, sirens could be heard quickly approaching and news helicopters would probably be on their way. Ember gave the signal to retreat, but they were stopped short. A giant, black shape loomed up in front of Terra and West as they flew away. It was too late to slow down and they crashed into it, falling and landing hard on the concrete. Serena ran over to them and helped a dazed West to his feet. The bird-like form materialized into Raven, and she did not look happy.

Ember stepped forward, her fists clenched in balls of fire, "Oh, this'll be fun."

Terra slowly got to her feet, wanting to be ready for anything. Raven attacked first, sending a mailbox flying towards Ember. Ember merely blasted it out of the way with a jet of flame, but while she was busy with the mailbox, Raven sent a whip of black energy towards her, swatting her aside. West and Serena rushed forward and attacked, but Raven blocked them and countered easily. Terra stood, petrified, as Raven walked calmly towards her, stopping a few feet away.

"Raven, it's not what it-." A harsh pressure in Terra's mind caused her to wince in pain. She tried hard not to shut Raven out. _Raven, stop! Beast Boy, Garfield, he-. _She tried to think of the warehouse, hoping that Raven could discern its location and help Gar, but the pain in her head became so intense that it crowded out all other thought. She sank down to her knees, knowing that she would soon pass out.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the pain disappeared. Terra looked over to see Raven collapsed on the ground, with a very annoyed-looking Ember standing over her.

"Let's get out of here."

At that moment an army of police cars pulled up, with news station vans and helicopters in tow. Terra quickly levitated a chunk of the street for herself and Ember while West followed them, carrying Serena.

o-o-o

Ember, West, Terra, and Serena crowded into a warehouse office, watching the news on the small television. Even from a distance the helicopters had been able to film a lot of the action, and even a few blurry close-ups of their faces. Terra felt ashamed. _How would Cyborg feel if he was watching this, and what about Rob-, er, Nightwing and Starfire? Would the news story only be broadcast locally, or were they watching it in Gotham? _

Ember flicked off the television, "Let's get some sleep; we're going out again tomorrow." Casting a suspicious glance at Terra she added, "Shifts of two, at three hour intervals. I want to be prepared in case that witch finds us."

Terra and Serena had the first watch. For the majority of the time they sat at the table in silence. Eventually, Terra found the will to start a conversation.

"Why do you follow Ember? You can't possibly believe that what she's doing is right, can you?"

The question was met with silence and Terra gave up trying. About ten minutes later, she was startled out of her tired stupor.

"She's my sister." Serena's voice was quiet, but it held a slightly musical quality. "She took care of me, even when she could barely take care of herself."

Terra frowned, "That still doesn't make what she's doing now right."

Serena didn't respond, becoming stoic once again.

From then on, the night passed quickly. They finished their watch and then roused the other two. Terra curled up on the floor in her borrowed sleeping bag and eventually settled into a restless sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

That next morning, they set out again. This time, Ember wanted to cause some real damage, so they ventured into one of the business districts of Jump City. Her instructions were simple, destroy. She told them to focus on bringing down the huge buildings, and she instructed West to stay near to Terra this time as well. _I don't think I can go through with this. Maybe I can slip away and-_ Terra's train of thought was halted as the 'H' on top of a hotel exploded nearby. West seemed to guess her intentions, because he never strayed more than a few yards away as she took down a building that she knew for a fact would be closed today.

Out of nowhere there came a flash of blue light that threw West back into her, knocking them both to the ground. Terra looked up to see Cyborg standing a short distance away, his sonic cannon still smoking slightly.

"What's going on, Terra? What are you doin' with them?" His voice was cautious, and his face was unreadable.

Terra gritted her teeth. _I had hoped I wouldn't have to face him, but I should have known better._

A sudden gust of wind knocked Cyborg off of his feet and Terra saw West standing next to her. He held out his hand and helped her up.

"Looks like we have company," he said, nodding towards Ember and Serena, who were locked in battle with two people that Terra immediately recognized.

Robin and Starfire. Robin had let his hair grow out long and he wore dark blue and black, which she supposed was part of his Nightwing costume. His eyes were still hidden by his trademark mask. Starfire, on the other hand, didn't appear to have changed much since Terra had last seen her. If anything was different, it was that she had obtained more of a figure, her face becoming a little more angular.

The two of them were fighting fiercely, but even their spectacular teamwork had met its match with the twins. Nightwing and Star couldn't keep this up for long, though it didn't seem that Ember and Serena had gone without injury either.

By then, Cyborg had gotten back on his feet and he sent a barrage of small rockets in Terra's direction. Taken off guard, she barely had time to raise a wall of rock in front of herself. West flew up over the barrier and attacked, but Terra waited for a moment behind the barricade.

_This is my chance! I can go and help Gar, and then I can come back here and we can help the others._ She sighed. _No, the others may not be able to make it that long. By the time I get back it'll be too late. Garfield will have to wait._

Thinking quickly, Terra broke apart a chunk of the wall and leapt onto it. She sped over to where West and Cyborg were fighting. Without hesitation, she threw part of the street in their direction. West was taken by surprise and it slammed into him, full-force, nearly rendering him unconscious.

"I'll explain later," Terra shouted down to a confused Cyborg. She quickly hurried over to aid Starfire and Nightwing.

Serena and Ember had apparently seen what had happened to West, because as Terra approached, she was met with a column of fire. While she was preoccupied with evading the flame, a fire hydrant exploded beneath her, and tendril of water wrapped itself around her leg. Terra was yanked off her rock and slammed into the ground. The air knocked out of her, she lay for a few moments, gasping for breath. She sat up to see West walking in her direction.

A gust of wind kicked up, nearly lifting Terra off of the ground. She scurried backwards a few feet until she found her back pressed up against a wall. She stood up slowly.

"West, you don't have to do this. This," she said, indicating all of the destruction, "is Ember's vision, not yours."

The air suddenly crackled with energy as a black shape materialized, forming into two figures. One was Raven, and the other was Garfield Logan. Terra was distracted and a sudden gust of wind launched her sideways, her head smacking against a block of rubble. Terra struggled to remain conscious as her vision became blurred. Gar was next to her in an instant, helping, and half lifting, her to her feet.

"Are you alright?"

She smiled weakly, her vision still a bit hazy. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

o-o-o

The ex-Titans began to make headway, fighting as a team. It was almost as if they had never separated.

They were not without injuries, however. Cyborg's sonic cannon had become jammed from its years of disuse, forcing him to rely on his strength alone; and Nightwing's leg had been badly burned, hindering his agility with intense pain at every step. Terra's head was pounding, but at least she had finally stopped seeing spots.

A stream of water lashed out at Terra, but she was able to sidestep it easily. This battle was taking its toll on Serena. She was breathing laboriously from the strain and her movements had become drastically slowed. It didn't look like the frail girl could handle much more fighting.

West seemed to notice this as well and he shouted to Ember, "Ember, we have to get out of here, we're no match for-"

"No! We can't retreat!" The ferocity in Ember's tone was frightening and even West seemed taken aback.

"But it's Serena, she's injured! We have to g-." He was cut off as a stream of starbolts hurtled towards him and he had to leap out of the way.

"She's fine," Ember shouted back fiercely as she launched a jet of flame at the green elephant that was charging her.

Terra exchanged a meaningful look with West. _Ember is clearly not in her right mind, if only I could get him to realize that. _As another stream of water shot towards her, Terra dodged and threw a good-sized rock at Serena. She was careful not to launch it with enough force to seriously injure the girl. Serena was knocked off her feet.

"Ember," West called out again, but she seemed too caught up in the heat of battle to respond.

Starfire dodged a ball of fire and it kept going, roaring past Terra and taking a chunk out of a nearby building.

Meanwhile, West had rushed over to Serena and was helping her back up. "Ember, let's GO," he shouted, but there was no response from Ember. She was holding her own against the five other ex-Titans, and she seemed to relish the violence. Another one of her attacks went horribly awry. This time the huge fireball came barreling towards West and Serena.

Terra acted on instinct, raising a wall of rock in front of the pair, shielding them from the inferno. West looked at her with obvious surprise. He composed himself quickly and nodded in her direction. Then, he and Serena were gone in a gust of wind.

Ember must have seen what happened, but was too busy fighting to do anything about it. Terra hurried to help the others, flinching mentally at the half-curious and half-suspicious glance she received from Nightwing as she approached. _I'm not looking forward to explaining all of this later._


	15. Chapter 15

Ember collapsed on the hard asphalt. The battle had been hard-won, but the excitement of their victory made them forget their injuries. The police came then, with emergency vehicles and news-vans in tow. As all manner of people flooded the streets, Terra was ushered over to a parked ambulance by two doctors. She kept insisting that she was fine, but the pair wouldn't listen. She sat impatiently as they checked her over. Eventually, they gave her the okay to leave and she walked across the street to where the rest of the group had gathered. Terra noticed that Nightwing had had his burn taken care of and Gar had a bandage wrapped around his wrist, no one seemed to have sustained any serious injuries.

Terra opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again, not knowing what to say first. Nightwing glanced around at all of the press and other people gathered nearby.

"Let's get out of here," he said.

Cyborg grinned. "I know where we can talk without all a' them bothering us," he replied, gesturing towards the throng of reporters.

Nightwing smiled knowingly. "Lead the way."

o-o-o

The operations room of Titans Tower had been left very much the same, preserved like a fly trapped in amber. Terra sat stiffly on the semicircular couch as the old team reminisced, sharing memories. She waited quietly until the conversation turned to her.

Starfire spoke hesitantly from the opposite end of the couch. "So, friend, how is it that you are...here?"

Nightwing sat at one of the swivel chairs at the control panel and he raised an eyebrow curiously. "Yeah, Terra; how were you freed? What happened?"

"I don't know. Suddenly I was just there, in that cave."

Terra told her story, with help from Cyborg, Garfield, and Raven. Though, she awkwardly skipped over the part about how she freaked out when she saw Gar and Raven kiss in front of his apartment. The end of her tale was met with a quiet that lingered for a long minute. Raven, who had been sitting silently on the couch next to Gar since they arrived, was the first one to speak, asking the question that was on everyone's minds.

"So, what now?"

Nightwing stood up. "Star and I should be really be heading back to Gotham."

Everyone began to say their goodbyes to the pair.

"Sure I can't convince ya' to stay? I was just going to order pizza," said Cyborg, walking over from where he had been leaning against the wall.

"Sorry Vic, but there's no telling what's happened back home while we were away." Nightwing then extended his hand to Terra and she shook it.

"It's great that you're back," he said, in his usual confident manner.

"Thanks," she replied.

Starfire glided over to her and hugged her surprisingly gently, well, for Starfire anyway. "You will come and visit us sometime?"

Terra smiled as she released her. "Sure Star."

After the two left, it became oddly quiet. Cyborg clapped his hands together.

"So, who wants pizza?"

Cyborg, Raven, Garfield, and Terra had a lot of fun talking and eating. They all listened and laughed as Gar recounted to Terra his, "complete epic-ness," in the final battle against the Brotherhood of Evil. Even Raven was in the mood for a laugh or two. The festivities began to wind down quickly, however, as the toll of their battle began to be felt by all. Eventually, Cyborg stood up, yawning loudly.

"I don't know about y'all, but I'm exhausted."

They said goodbye, taking turns sharing hugs with each other, with smiles on their faces. Terra stood in front of Gar and her smile faded. He began to speak, but was interrupted as she threw her arms around him. She willed herself not to cry. _He's happy. The city is safe. So, why do I feel so horrible? This moment, this moment right here, it's perfect. I never want to let him go, and yet..._

Terra could feel Gar tremble slightly, and it dawned on her that he must be trying not to cry as well. The two of them stood there for a long moment, before remembering that they were not alone. They broke apart somewhat awkwardly, sharing a weak smile.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"For what," Terra asked. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I lied to you; I told you that I'd be your friend no matter what and then I went back on that promise. If I hadn't done that, if I had helped you instead, then maybe you wouldn't have gone back to Slade," Garfield gushed in a flood of emotion.

"No," said Terra, her voice unsteady. "Everything that I did, everything I felt, that was _me_, and no one's fault but my own. I _chose_ to betray you all; I'm the one who should be sorry."

They both looked at each other for a minute, mutually angry that they were unable to convince the other of what they each believed to be the truth.

"Oh! I almost forgot," said Gar, breaking the silence and reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a familiar hair ornament. "Here, I believe this is yours."

Terra smiled and took the butterfly comb and placed it in her hair, grateful that it was once again returned to her.

"You know, you should really put a leash on that thing, or some time it'll run off for good," he said jovially, but then his expression became serious. "Where will you go," he asked her, his worry evident in the tone of his voice.

Terra shrugged. She had no clue, but she really didn't want Gar to have to worry about her. "I don't know. I guess I'll travel for a while; maybe I'll find a place in need of a hero and settle in."

At this Cyborg, who had been sitting on the couch with Raven in an attempt to give Gar and Terra some privacy, stood up and turned around.

"Well, you'll always have a home in Jump City."

"Thanks," Terra called as she walked towards the door.


	16. Chapter 16- Epilogue

Epilogue

Terra made her way out of the tower and into the cool night. Taking a boulder that was half-submerged in water, she jettisoned across the bay. Soon, Terra reached her cave and cleaned out her few belongings. Though her whole body ached, she wanted to get some distance before she stopped to rest for the night. Drinking in one last look at the lights of Jump City and Titans' Tower in the distance, Tara Markov took a deep breath and turned her back to the city. She began weaving her way down the canyon trail, and into the unknown.

By morning, the wind had obscured her footprints in the sand, erasing all evidence of her passing.


End file.
